Interstate Anti-Cancer Drug Racket Busted By Delhi Crime Branch, 17 Arrested; Medicines Worth Rs 9 Crore Seized

New Delhi: The Inter-State Cell of Delhi Police's Crime Branch has busted an interstate syndicate allegedly involved in the illegal procurement, diversion, storage and sale of counterfeit and illegally obtained high-value anti-cancer medicines, arresting 17 people and recovering medicines worth around Rs 9 crore, officials said.

Police said 588 filled anti-cancer medicine vials, six empty vials, seven empty medicine boxes and 3,021 units of other medicines were recovered during the investigation. Cash amounting to around Rs 50 lakh, along with electronic devices, registers, diaries and packaging material, was also seized.

According to the Crime Branch, the syndicate operated through an interstate network spread across Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and other locations.

Among those arrested were Abhishek Vaishya, Shubham Kumar Chaudhary, Suraj Chaudhary, Gagan, Satish Kumar, Mukesh, Ayush Kumar, Vishwas Tyagi, Paramjeet Sheoran, Anand Kumar, Srinivasulu Kalva, Ramdas Satish Kumar, Malugari Srinath Reddy, Mayank Garg, Deepak alias Ravi, Jaswant Sharma and Manish Sharma.

Police said the arrested accused included medicine traders, intermediaries and people working in hospitals. Several accused allegedly played a role in diverting anti-cancer medicines from hospitals and supplying them to other members of the network.

A significant recovery was made from Anand Kumar, from whose possession and premises 337 anti-cancer vials and a large quantity of other medicines were recovered. Police also recovered 108 vials and Rs 6.50 lakh from the residence of accused Deepak alias Ravi.

The case was registered at the Crime Branch police station on July 12 under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

The investigation began after police received specific information on June 22 about an organised syndicate involved in procuring, storing and supplying counterfeit and high-value anti-cancer medicines on a large scale.

During verification, several suspected locations in East Delhi, Rohini and Mumbai were identified.

On July 11, seven teams of the Inter-State Cell conducted simultaneous raids at multiple locations in Delhi and Navi Mumbai in coordination with the Drugs Department and local police. During the searches, medicines including Darzalex, Imfinzi, Erbitux, Opdyta, Gazyva, Bavencio, Adcetris and Keytruda were recovered.

Police said the investigation revealed that the accused allegedly obtained costly anti-cancer medicines through three main channels -- counterfeit medicines from unauthorised sources, medicines diverted or misappropriated from hospitals meant for cancer patients, and medicines diverted from government institutions and warehouses.

The medicines were allegedly procured without valid invoices, purchase records, drug licences or other required documents and were stored at residential and other locations before being supplied through a network of intermediaries.

Investigators also found that original cartons and empty boxes were allegedly retained and reused for repackaging. Batch numbers, Maximum Retail Price (MRP) details and other identifying markings were reportedly removed using chemicals such as acetone to conceal the source and identity of the medicines.

Police said thermocol boxes, bubble rolls, adhesive tape and polythene were used to prepare consignments, while registers and diaries containing details of medicine transactions and cash dealings were also recovered.

The investigation is continuing to trace the complete supply and distribution network, identify end beneficiaries and examine the financial trail. Police said further arrests and recoveries are likely.